NEW YORK -
The University of Louisville men's basketball team was selected to finish fourth in the 2009-10 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll announced on Wednesday, while sophomore Samardo Samuels was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team. Villanova has been picked as the favorite to win the regular-season crown.

Louisville, the defending regular-season and league tournament champion, was a close fourth, earning 179 points. The Cardinals have advanced the NCAA Elite Eight in each of the past two seasons.

Samuels, a 6-9 sophomore forward, earned BIG EAST All-Rookie team accolades last season. He finished the 2008-09 campaign as the seventh highest scoring freshman ever at Louisville, averaging 11.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. Samuels ranked seventh in the BIG EAST in field goal percentage (.578) and was 11th in blocked shots (1.3).

Villanova, who advanced to the NCAA Final Four last year, finished just ahead of West Virginia. The Wildcats received 10 first-place votes and 218 points in the poll. The Mountaineers picked up five first-place votes and 215 points.

Villanova is the coaches' top choice for the first time since the 2005-06 poll, which was the first season that the BIG EAST included 16 teams. The Wildcats boast a deep backcourt led by senior Scottie Reynolds. West Virginia's No. 2 position this year is the highest in the preseason poll for the Mountaineers since they began competing in BIG EAST basketball in 1995-96. WVU has four starters returning from a club that finished 23-12 last season.

Connecticut, the third-place pick with 185 points, received the other first-place selection. The Huskies joined Villanova at the Final Four last year and finished 31-5.

Georgetown was the fifth-place selection with 161 points followed by Syracuse in sixth place with 152 points. The Hoyas, who stumbled in league play last year with a 7-11 mark, can build around sophomore center Greg Monroe, the 2008-09 BIG EAST Rookie of the Year. Syracuse was 28-10 last year and 11-7 in conference play. The Orange have posted 12 straight 20-win seasons.

The conference head coaches feel Cincinnati is capable of moving up in the standings. They placed the Bearcats, who were 8-10 in league play each of the past two seasons, seventh with 135 points, just ahead of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish, who had 132 points in the poll, want to improve on last year's 8-10 league mark.

Pittsburgh is ninth with 119 points with Seton Hall placing 10th at 110 points. The Panthers will aim to maintain their contending role despite losing four starters from last year's 31-5 team. Seton Hall, 17-15 a year ago and 7-11 in the BIG EAST, welcomes back sharpshooting guard Jeremy Hazell and three other starters.

St. John's, which returns its top eight players from last season, picked up 82 points in the poll, which was good for 11th place. Marquette, which lost four starters from last year's 25-10 squad, was 12th at 78 points.

The coaches feel Providence will finish 13th followed by USF, Rutgers and DePaul.